Socal / WCCP

When the Oscar-award winning movie Milk debuted in 2008, the world fell in love with the vibrant and

courageous personality of political activist Harvey Milk played by Sean Penn. Tragically, his work for gay rights was cut short when he was assassinated in 1978 but others continued to carry out his important mission. Daniel Nicoletta was one of these – using his camera to reveal both the tender and flamboyant gay lifestyle and document its political evolution.

Daniel Nicoletta was a 19 year old bike messenger in 1975 when Milk recruited him to work in his Castro district camera shop and to photograph his political campaign. In Nicoletta’s first Los Angeles solo show Harvey Milk and San Francisco Scene at the

Overtones Gallery, photographs of jovial Milk and his faithful entourage capture the energy and passion of that profound moment in gay rights history.

Nicoletta exclaims with sparkling, smiling eyes, “This show is a valentine to Harvey and his life’s work.”

Nicoletta personally advised director Gus Van Sant and writer Dustin Lance Black during the development and production of Milk. Part of the show is devoted to Nicoletta’s photographs of the making of the movie. Seeing photos of the actors shot on set with the real-life person they were portaying are especially moving.

Overtones gallery owner, Elizabeta Betinski, says of bringing this show to Los Angeles, “It is my hope that the power of Nicoletta’s imagery and the humanness of the stories his images tell will aid in bringing about a world where equality is enjoyed by all.”

Obviously, on an obscure corner of Venice Boulevard, Los Angelenos from all walks share the same sentiment as Betinski and attended the opening night in throngs to view not only Harvey Milk photos but intimate moments of gay life like an emaciated drag queen battling AIDS or jubilant San Francisco parade-goers in vivid costumes.

“There is much more work to be done for gay rights, what Harvey started was only the beginning,” Nicoletta proclaims. No doubt, Nicoletta’s powerful image remind us what one fearlessly dedicated person can do to better life for millions of gay and lesbian people. They also challenge us to ask the question, “What can I do to change my world like Milk did?”

Nicoletta will give a talk and booksigning for Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk at Overtones Gallery on Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 2 - 4PM. (RSVP to the gallery by June 3rd.)